''Semper Floreat'' (Latin: "May it always flourish") is the
student newspaper
A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...
of the
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
, in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It has been published continuously by the
University of Queensland Union (UQ Union) since 1932, when it began as a fortnightly newsletter of only a few pages, produced by one editor.
Recent History
In 2014, ''Semper'' (as it is colloquially known) became a 48-page, monthly magazine that employs a full-time editor, deputy editor and 8 part-time editors The editors are elected annually by the student body. In 2017, ''Semper'' reduced its magazine publications to three for the year, and relaunched its website.
''Semper'' occupied an important position in Brisbane's cultural and radical history, and has been closely connected with such cultural icons such as 'Time Off'. ''Semper'' editor,
Alan Knight (1973), was a founding Director of
4ZZZ FM (1975).
A number of important Australian writers, critics, historians and social commentators have been associated with the newspaper including
David Malouf
David George Joseph Malouf AO (; born 20 March 1934) is an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright and librettist. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2008, Malouf has lectured at both the University of Quee ...
(writer, poet),
Joan Kerr
Joan Kerr (1938–2004) was an Australian academic and cultural preservationist. Initially her interest was sparked in preserving the architectural heritage of Australia, but over time her interests spread to art history and Australian culture ...
(art and cultural historian, academic), Jack Carmody (Professor of Medicine, opera and theatre critic),
Shane Porteous
John Shane Porteous (born 17 August 1942) (known as Shane Porteous) is an Australian actor, screenwriter, animation layout artist and animation voice artist. As a screenwriter, he is sometimes credited as "John Hanlon".
He remains best known fo ...
(actor), Alan Frost (historian), Graeme Rowlands (poet and critic), William Yang aka Willie Young (photographer), Peter McCawley (economist, senior civil servant, Asia specialist), Brian Toohey (economist, newspaper editor, political commentator), Michael O'Neill (political activist), Dan O'Neill (academic and political activist),
Susan Geason
Susan Dorothy Geason (born 1946) is an Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction for adults and teenagers.
Born in New Norfolk, Tasmania, to Urban James and Joan Susan (née Oakford) Geason, she grew up in Queensland and graduated from the U ...
(journalist, political adviser, writer),
Lenore Taylor (Walkley-winning journalist, author, now editor of ''
Guardian Australia
''Guardian Australia'' is the Australian website of the British global online and print newspaper, ''The Guardian''.
Available solely in an online format, the newspaper's launch was led by Katharine Viner in time for the 2013 Australian fede ...
''),
Julianne Schultz
Julianne Schultz AM FAHA (born 1956) is an Australian academic, media manager, author and editor. She was the founding editor of the Australian literary and current affairs journal ''Griffith Review''. She is currently a professor at Griffith U ...
,
John Birmingham
John Birmingham (born 7 August 1964) is a British-born Australian author, known for the 1994 memoir ''He Died with a Felafel in His Hand'', and his ''Axis of Time'' trilogy.
Early life and education
Birmingham was born in Liverpool, United ...
,
Clinton Walker
Clinton Walker is an Australian writer, best known for his works on popular music. He is known for his books ''Highway to Hell'' (1994; a biography of Bon Scott), ''Buried Country'' (2000; also a film and soundtrack album), ''History is Made a ...
and
Humphrey McQueen
Humphrey Dennis McQueen (born 26 June 1942) is an Australian political activist, socialist historian and cultural commentator. He is associated with the development of the Australian New Left. His most iconic work, ''A New Britannia'',McQueen, ...
. In 2005 its editors included Daniel and Sarah Spencer, who went on to form the influential underground rock band
Blank Realm
Blank Realm is a musical group from Brisbane Australia active since 2005. The group is composed of sibling members Daniel, Luke and Sarah Spencer (who are Australian born of Sri Lankan heritage) and guitarist Luke Walsh. They were described by th ...
.
The University of Queensland Fryer Library holds the most complete collection of the newspaper and archival issues are available through UQ eSpace; copies are also held in the
State Library of Queensland
The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...
, the Queensland Parliamentary Library, and the
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
in Canberra. Archival issues are also available from UQ eSpace.
The first student magazine for the university was called
Queensland University Magazine
The Queensland University Magazine (Q.U.M) later known as Galmahra, was first published in 1911, the same year that the University was established in Queensland, Australia. It was a publication of the Student Union.
The first issues were designe ...
(later known as Galmahra). It continued to publish alongside ''Semper Floreat'' until the 1950s.
Editors (2020-2022)
In 2020 UQ Union elections the Labor aligned ticket Rebuild successfully beat the LNP aligned Real and third party ticket Forward to win both ''Semper Floreat'' and the UQ Union executive.
Art of Shoplifting controversy
In 1995, ''Semper'' reprinted a controversial article from ''
Rabelais Student Media
''Rabelais Student Media'' is the current student newspaper at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, named after French Renaissance writer François Rabelais.
From its founding in 1967, ''Rabelais Student Media'' had been run as a departm ...
'', its
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...
counterpart, entitled 'The Art of Shoplifting' – one of seven student newspapers to do so. Although the ''Rabelais'' editors responsible for the original article were prosecuted for ignoring a ban on publication issued by the state's Chief Censor; the editors of the other seven newspapers were not targeted by the authorities. Charges against the ''Rabelais'' editors were later dropped.
Another version of this article was republished in the August 2022 edition of ''Semper'', where an anonymous writer rehashed some of the points made by the original article as well as adding some more modern techniques to circumvent the expansion of security. This article made headlines in newsmedia, being reported on by multiple networks such as Newscorp, Seven, Fairfax and the ABC for its promotion of criminal behaviour
See also
*
University of Queensland Union (UQU)
*
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
References
External links
Complete digitised collection of ''Semper Floreat'' in UQ eSpace, The University of Queensland LibrarywebsiteHistory of off-campus sale and distribution of Semper and Time Offlink on Pandora website (archived version)
{{AusStudentNews
Student newspapers published in Australia
Publications established in 1932
University of Queensland